By Billy House
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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ASHINGTON -- Hundreds of millions of dollars for Florida projects ranging from money to dredge the Port of Tampa to youth-gang prevention efforts and municipal beautification efforts are at stake in a catch-all spending bill the Senate is expected to vote on today (Thursday).
Some Republicans and reform-minded Democrats are hoping to topple the bill, though uncertain whether they have the numbers to do so.
The $410 billion omnibus spending package would pay for government operations through September. The sprawling measure, which combines nine budget bills into one, is necessary because Congress failed to finish work last year on funding federal agencies.
Already approved by the House last week, Democratic Senate leaders hope to pass it today for President Barack Obama to sign by Friday, when a temporary funding measure expires.
But critics in the Senate and others are lashing out at the bill’s huge price tax, particularly zeroing in on at least $7.7 billion in about 8,000 “member items” – or special earmarks requested by lawmakers.
They complain that projects that get such funding are too often not decided by relative merit, and too often accompanied by campaign contributions from beneficiaries or their lobbyists.
Opposition to the measure has been building for other reasons, such as the inclusion of language that would let Cuban Americans visit their relatives in that country more frequently, and bring about other changes to U.S.-Cuba policy.
Florida’s GOP Sen. Mel Martinez is leading the attack on the Cuba language – even at the risk of scuttling the millions of dollars he’s grabbed in earmarks for his state.
One government-watch group – Taxpayers for Common Sense – has determined from the more than 1,000 pages of budget bill language that Martinez is the 35th biggest recipient in the Senate of earmarked dollars for his state in the bill.
The state’s other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, was ranked 37th.
Martinez, speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, lashed out at the Cuba provisions.
“I would hope that we could have this debate outside of this omnibus bill … not to have it lumped in this massive spending measure that has to be passed by Friday,” said Martinez, of discussions of changing U.S.-Cuba policy.
Martinez also has been among those lashing out at the bill’s earmarks. But that hasn’t stopped him from pressing for his own projects.
Lundberg says that’s because “the reality is that (earmarks) are still a part of the process.” He says the Florida’s law enforcement, military bases and educational institutions and other public sector projects should receive a fair investment.
Through a spokesman, Nelson said the items he’s secured in the bill also are important for Florida.
“Without such, there’d be no money,” Nelson said, for such things as life-saving equipment at some of the public hospitals, for numerous research and teaching programs in the state university system, and numerous other needs.
In the House, Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor of Tampa and Allen Boyd of Monticello were joined by Republican Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville in supporting the bill.
Republican Reps. Adam Putnam, C.W. Bill Young of Indian Shores and Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor voted against it, although all three had secured their own member-items in the bill.
Boyd, a leader of the congressional Blue Dog Coalition that pushes for eliminating wasteful spending, has several of his own member items in the bill.
For instance, he teamed with Martinez and GOP Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville in getting a member-item of $599,000 for “improved cow-beef operations” in Brooksville.
“Boyd is on the Appropriations Committee, and he’s worked hard to support important local projects that will benefit our communities, military installations, schools and universities, and rural areas,” said his spokesman, Jared Cordes.
Putnam has explained that his requests provide no “private handouts” – and are for public entities or research institutions.
Explains Bilirakis: “The local projects which I have sponsored will help our community advance and improve by funding important programs which enhance local law enforcement, improve access to quality health care, and encourage economic development."
But Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said some lawmakers are trying to eat their cake by complaining about too much spending and their pork, too, by making their own requests for favorite project funding.
Ellis and others have also said they are disappointed in Obama.
The new president had promised during his campaign that he would work to limit such “member items.” But Ellis said he hasn’t used his “bully pulpit” as president to so in this bill – “or at least whittle it down a little.”
The White House has said Obama would change the “rules” regarding such spending in future bills, but has emphasized that this omnibus is a leftover from last year.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at bhouse@mediageneral.com or at 1 (202) 662-7673.